Crater Lake

I first saw Crater Lake at the end of the summer before my Junior year in college. A friend and I took off on a driving tour that looped around the entire western half of the United States, starting in my hometown of Omaha and ending two weeks later in our college town, Houston. As soon as I saw it, Crater Lake became one of my all time favorite places, and that has continued through several decades, though until now I had only been back there once again. I wondered before I visited this time whether I'd be jaded; maybe it wouldn't be that big a thrill. Well, it was still just a breathtaking, or, somehow, even more so. I've taken plenty of pictures, so get ready.

The RV camp I stayed at the night before was only about a half hour south of the lake. It's a pretty drive in, I've never approached from the south before. You pull into a parking lot at Rim Village, walk over the crest of a hill, and this is what you see:

Let me assure you that in this photo and the ones that follow, I have not adjusted the color; it really is that blue. Here's a wider angle panorama shot:

The surface of the lake is glassy smooth - at least on this day - and the reflections are just about perfect:

Eventually I was able to tear myself away from the views on the south rim and start driving up the west side of the lake. Just a short distance along, I found the perfect turnout to stop and make lunch. The previous day I had a view of Mount Shasta for lunch, today, this was the view out the side door of my van:

Though repetitive, it's such a great shot, I have to show it without the van as a frame:

And, for good measure, it's important to document that I was really there:

Traveling alone, getting shots of myself is a skill I'm acquiring. One of the most useful devices I brought along is a little tripod with 3" legs I can slip in my pocket. I can usually find a rock, or in this case my kitchen counter, to set it on, set the self-timer, and scramble back into position. 

Wizard Island in Crater Lake is a cinder cone from a later eruption of the volcano that collapsed to create the lake:

The caldera of that cone is still clearly visible:

A little further up the eastern side of the lake is an imposing pinnacle:

I want to call your attention to two features in the photo above: the bump on the right of the peak and the trail at the base on the right. The bump is a ranger station:

and on that trail here's a group of reluctant high school students being led by a ranger all the way up to the station:

Kind of makes me glad my high school was in nice, flat Nebraska.

Here's another panorama shot from near that location:

The photo below demonstrates the effectiveness of my second technique for getting a shot of myself. Watch for someone contorting themselves trying to get a decent selfie and offer to take their picture with their camera. They'll then almost always reciprocate:

In a generous spirit, I also took a "selfie" of the van:

This next image, taken from the north rim of the lake, is more of an object lesson. Any experienced photographer knows not to shoot into the sun, but I'm not experienced enough yet:

Notice how washed out it is compared to any of the photos above. All my north rim shots came out the same way.

The furthest I made it around the lake was the Cleetwood Cove Trail:

which is at the due north position. This is the only place on the entire rim where there's a trail down to the water's edge. Even so, it's a 700 ft vertical climb coming back up. I ventured a dozen yards or so down the trail to get a (washed out) photo. "Have you ever done this trail before?" asked a young woman that came down behind me. I shook my head, "No, maybe next year when I'm in better shape." Peering dubiously at the switchbacks that led down and down below us, she replied, "Yeah, maybe next year."

Reluctantly leaving Crater Lake behind, I got back on Highway 97 northeast of the lake. My route north took me right past the turnoff to Fort Rock, a site I put on my agenda nearly two years ago, but it was getting late in the day, so I hurried on to LaPine State Park for the night. I'd decide tomorrow whether to backtrack to see Fort Rock.